This invention relates to recreational and amusement toys and more particularly to an inflatable toy in the form of a ring.
Various types of children's amusement devices have taken the form of an inflatable ring designed to surround the user. Probably the best-known such device is the automotive inner tube. Patents have been granted on other types of inflatable ring toys, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,493,228, which is an inflatable ring fitted with hanging rattles and other objects for use by infants.
The inventor of the present invention has developed an improved type of ring-shaped toy which is shaped differently from an inner tube and which can be used to create new, fun, bouncing games and other activities.
The invention provides an amusement toy comprising an air-inflatable annular ring for extending around a human torso. The ring is formed of flexible, air-impervious sheet material having a generally toroidal shape, including a central opening and a generally circular outer perimeter. The dimensions of the ring, including its width and the size of the central opening, are substantially different from that of an automotive inner tube. In the present invention, the ring, when inflated, is sized to fit closely around the torso of the user and to extend outwardly approximately the length of the user's arm. The ring is sized for use by an intended user who is within a predetermined size range, the size relationship between the ring and user being approximately the following: (a) the circumference of the central opening generally corresponds to the circumference of the torso of a person the size of the intended user, (b) the outer perimeter of the ring is spaced from the central opening a distance approximately equal to or greater than the length of an arm of a person the size of the intended user, and (3) the cross-sectional thickness of the ring is approximately equal to or greater than the diameter of the central opening. The result is a relatively wide, thick ring with a small central opening, as compared with that of an automotive inner tube. With the user positioned in the central opening, the ring forms a wide annular cushion about the user's torso, permitting the user to engage in bouncing amusement activities.